


make-believe

by natromanoffs



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Gen, Trobed, but light trobed implied, very troy-focused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24898921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natromanoffs/pseuds/natromanoffs
Summary: Troy used to love playing make-believe. But he grew older, and it grew less acceptable, so he forced himself to grow out of it. Maybe all it took was the right person to help him believe again.
Relationships: Troy Barnes & Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 2
Kudos: 60





	make-believe

When Troy was a kid, he loved playing make-believe. He’d dress up as superheroes and mystical creatures on Halloween, and shoot the other kids with his power blasts. During recess, he’d have giant battles with the boys or drama-filled house scenes with the girls. Whenever he went over to a friend’s house, they’d spend the afternoon as spies in a blanket fort or knights commanding large armies through the backyard.

As Troy grew older, though, his friends stopped wanting to play make-believe. They chose video games and sports instead, leaving the days of blanket forts and makeshift costumes in the past. It’s not that Troy stopped wanting to play make-believe, but he wasn’t going to be the one that pushed for it. No, he saw how his classmates treated Charlie, the girl who still liked to gallop around like a horse on the playground. He saw the way they squeezed up their faces in disgust when she’d come their way, and he heard how they called her all sorts of things: “weird,” “childish,” stupid,” etc. Yeah, Troy still found himself wanting to play make-believe, but there was no way in hell he’d risk going through all that taunting.

So, he followed the lead of his friends, taking up football and quickly becoming a rising star. He was popular and loved, and everyone screamed his name when he came out onto the field. Yeah, he’d rather be hiding from dragons or taking down empires, but football was the next best thing. So, he left intricate make-believe scenarios in his childhood, and put almost all of his energy into football.

When Troy first met Abed, he could tell Abed was different. Not in a particularly bad way nor a particularly good way. He was just different from other people.

Though Troy didn’t realize it at first, he came to learn that Abed had some of the same “childlike” passions that he did. Abed wouldn’t hesitate to build a blanket fort at the drop of a hat, and he was a spy or detective at least once a week. And he wasn’t ashamed of it.

Before Abed, when Troy was in high school, he’d sometimes spend a Tuesday evening in his room, letting himself indulge. He’d cut up a shirt and re-sew it so it resembled a mask, then quietly become a superhero and defeat the monsters that hid under his bed and in his closet. He’d whisper his mighty words so that his family would never notice. As it turned out, it’s not so fun to play make-believe when you’re the only one believing. So, yes, occasionally Troy would allow himself to play again. But he’d always feel ashamed of it, and found himself playing make-believe less and less often.

But Abed’s not ashamed of it. He gets very involved in all sorts of absurd scenarios and he fully commits and he doesn’t seem to mind the weird looks other people give him. And so, with Abed beside him, Troy begins to play again.

It’s been so long since he’s played make-believe with someone other than himself, and it surprises him just how fun it still is. And Abed’s way more imaginative than he’s ever been, so they go on even bolder and braver adventures.

They grow closer and closer, both within their made-up scenarios and out of them. And Abed begins to mean many different things to Troy. Still, Troy always gets hung up on how creative Abed is, and how wide his imagination reaches. He could go on for hours talking about all the wild scenarios that Abed’s created, and he’d say it all with awe-struck eyes.

With Abed, he can go back to the pastimes that brought him joy in his childhood, and they can bring him joy again. What’s important though, is that Troy’s not a child anymore. His friends would laugh at Charlie and continually call her childish. But, Troy is an adult now. And he doesn’t see make-believe as a childish pastime anymore. He sees it as a creative and intellectual pursuit that brings him joy and allows him to express himself in ways he couldn’t otherwise.

He no longer feels ashamed of still playing make-believe, he no longer keeps his creativity confined to his bedroom. No, he can now relish in the joy that blanket forts and pirate hats give him, and he can run through Greendale’s halls in a trench coat and not care if people look at him weird. He can get into all sorts of make-believe antics and he can dedicate himself to his imagination and he can be happy about it. And he has Abed to thank for that.

**Author's Note:**

> hi i've been watching community for the first time and i'm very very emo over these two. the idea that, rather than his relationship w abed leading him to enjoy fantasies n such, troy has always been v creative and imaginative is smth i've been thinking abt lately, so i had to write a lil thing abt it. :')
> 
> also, follow me on tumblr n scream abt trobed w me: amyanstlers . tumblr . com


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